Kuala lumpur: The Malaysia International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) has urged the police to investigate the contents of a mobile phone believed to belong to a member of an illegal moneylending syndicate (ah long) after data related to the group's activities was found on the device. Its secretary-general, Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim, stated that the organisation has lodged a police report regarding the device, which is believed to contain incriminating evidence of the syndicate's activities.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the syndicate valued the phone and allegedly offered money to MHO activists to retrieve it. Offers reportedly started at around RM15,000 and escalated to RM2 million. The device allegedly contains a 69-page operations manual detailing the syndicate's modus operandi, including steps to be taken if an arrest occurs, what to say to the authorities, and the management structure within the syndicate. The documents suggest the syndicate's operations are highly organised, featuring division of labour, sales reports, and profit distribution.
The phone also reportedly contains personal information of victims, such as identity card numbers, home addresses, and family details. It is believed that this information was obtained through an internal application system used by syndicate members to track and pressure borrowers. Additionally, the documents indicate that the syndicate charged interest rates above the legal limit set by Section 17A of the Moneylenders Act 1951, which caps interest rates for unsecured loans at 18 percent per annum.
Video recordings found on the phone allegedly show intimidation tactics, including red paint being splashed on victims' houses, believed to be recorded by syndicate members as evidence for their leaders. One group in the syndicate, reportedly with about 25 members, is said to have made profits of up to RM27 million last year.
An MHO activist known as 'Joshua' stated that the phone was found after several individuals, believed to be syndicate members, fled while he and his colleagues were assisting a victim in Kampung Sungai Penchala on March 3. Joshua claimed that all evidence has been handed over to the police for further investigation.
Meanwhile, Brickfields police chief ACP Hoo Chang Hook confirmed that the department had received a report of harassment by unlicensed moneylenders from a 35-year-old local man, an activist, at 9.22 am today. He indicated that the case will be referred to the Kuala Lumpur contingent police headquarters' Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) for further instructions. Further developments will be announced once the preliminary investigation is completed.